The Zygon Inversion - Epilogue
by Julie Ann Pope
Summary: Shippy Kate/Osgood addendum to The Zygon Inversion


**The Zygon Inversion - Epilogue**

Kate sat at her desk at UNIT HQ in The Tower of London, glasses perched on the end of her nose as she switched her gaze between the papers in front of her and the report she was typing on the computer. Apart from the near death experiences, she could also do without the amount of paperwork involved in the aftermath of a major incident. Despite the Doctor's reassurances and explanations, she wasn't stupid and knew that she was missing a chunk of information regarding the conclusion of the Zygon rebellion. Something had happened in the Black Archive but she trusted the Doctor enough to know there must have been a reason why she had been left out of it. There was a light tap at her door and she looked up to see Osgood's face appear around it.

"May I…?"

"Yes, of course." The younger woman walked in, shut the door behind her and took the seat opposite Kate. Her office was just the same as she'd remembered it, an organised mess and a nice mixture of new technology and old furnishings. They'd spent many hours down here, in the bowels of the Tower of London, working together, chatting together and getting to know one another better in those early days. How far away they seemed right at this moment. It had been nearly a year since Osgood had upped and left in the wake of her duplicate's death. She looked at Kate and smiled when she noticed what she was wearing on her face.

"They suit you." Kate blushed at the compliment and took the glasses off in slight embarrassment at having been caught out.

"You should have them back, those ones are broken." Kate offered the glasses she'd just been wearing to the younger woman and indicated the ones that Osgood was currently wearing, with gaffer tape wrapped around the middle to hold them together.

"No, you keep them. Seriously, they look good on you." It was said with a wink and a slight hint of innuendo. Kate blushed again and wondered when she had been transformed into lovestruck schoolgirl around her assistant. Then the atmosphere fell heavy and both knew that they had to have the conversation they'd both been avoiding.

"I don't know what your plans are but you know there's always a job for you here if you want it?" Kate was nervous at the answer she'd receive and wasn't sure she could deal with the heartbreak of losing Osgood all over again, whichever one she was.

"We'd like that, very much. If you're prepared to have us?" Kate felt two conflicting reactions at once; delight that she was going to get Osgood back permanently but disappointment that it would be both of them again; not knowing if one or other or both were now Zygon. It meant that any hope she had of their fledgling relationship resuming was lost and the feeling was all too bittersweet and familiar. The disappointment had been evident on Kate's face but Osgood had been expecting it. Kate's demeanour had changed and she switched back into professional mode.

"Oh right, of course. That makes sense." Kate had been keen to keep her tone even, though she was sure the feeling behind it had been obvious to the other woman. How did she find bluffing at Bridge so easy but covering up her emotions nigh on impossible?

"You're disappointed." Osgood observed sadly, but she had done a better job of keeping herself in check than Kate.

"I… I'm sorry, I have no right to be. I know it's the right thing to do." 'The right thing' was beginning to sound a bit hollow to her ears; it may be the right thing for the rest of the world but at the cost of their own personal happiness. Of course, she should have learned that from her father, you couldn't have a job saving the world on almost a weekly basis and expect to be happy.

"You do have a choice." Osgood reached out over the desk, took hold of Kate's hand and laced their fingers together. She looked right into Kate's eyes and spoke from the heart. "I love you, very much. That hasn't changed, won't ever change I expect. We could ignore it, deny it or try to bury it but if all we have is each other then I'd rather be with you than apart." Kate squeezed Osgood's hand and looked at her with tears in her eyes.

"But how, with two of you? I'm broad minded but not quite _that_ broad minded!" Osgood let out a belly laugh.

"What, you thought… The two of us, at the same time…?" Kate furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Then what _did_ you mean?"

"It'll be _me_ when we're together. Of course she'll have access to my memories, we have an unbreakable link but it will always be me. I'll never tell you the truth outright, you'll just have to trust me." The moment weighed heavy in Kate's heart, torn between never really knowing the truth but trusting that Osgood genuinely felt the way she did about her. Her mind was still a bit addled at the prospect of having a relationship with human-zygon hybrid, one that either began as entirely human or entirely zygon. But she was simply Osgood at the heart of her; had all of Osgood's memories and thoughts and feelings, had all of her experiences and was the woman she had fallen in love with before all of this had happened.

"I do trust you, I just… it's going to take a bit of getting used to." Osgood grinned in victory.

"So that's a yes then?" Osgood's grin was infectious and Kate smiled back at her. Now that she'd made her decision she felt relieved and a sense of calm and balance had been restored to her. She nodded and stood up, still holding onto Osgood's hand. They walked around their respective sides of the desk to meet face to face. Kate placed her hands on Osgood's hips and pulled her in close. She reached up and cupped her cheek before moving even closer.

"I've missed you so much. I love you." They simultaneously leaned in and their lips met in a languid kiss. In that moment the last piece of the puzzle had slotted back into place and harmony was once again restored to the world. For now.


End file.
